You had one job, Boston Celtics. All you needed to do was cover as 3.5-point road faves against an Indiana Pacers team that was playing the second of back-to-back games. And you failed, losing 102-101. Then you dropped the cash in each of your next three contests – hell, you almost lost to the Phoenix Suns (+9.5 at home). Sad!

Looks like our Employee of the Month award might go to the Portland Trail Blazers instead. They had the rest advantage on Nov. 1 when they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans, and they prevailed 132-119 as 6.5-point favorites. Since then, Portland are 3-1 SU and ATS, putting them near the top of the Western Conference standings. There isn’t a back-to-back situation in play for Sunday’s Celtics-Blazers game, but given the way these two teams are performing – and Portland’s small-market status – we’re going to recommend the home side for your NBA picks.

Road Apples

Fatigue will still play some role in this matchup. The Celtics are at the tail end of a five-game road swing, and Sunday will be their third game in four days after taking Saturday off. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers are wrapping up a six-game home stand at the former Rose Garden, and they haven’t played since Thursday. Advantage: Portland.

Then you have that whole small-market thing. No one outside the Pacific Northwest pays attention to the Portland Trail Blazers; for that matter, no one south of Washington and north of California does, either. Damian Lillard (plus-7.5 BPM) gets some attention as an individual star, but ask any NBA fan on the street about Zach Collins (plus-4.4 BPM), and you’re likely to be met with shrugs. Or pepper spray.

Gordon Haywire

Collins, for the uninitiated, was the BMOC (literally, at 7-feet tall) for the Gonzaga Bulldogs when they went to the National Championship Game in 2017. He struggled a bit as a rookie last year, but Collins has made big strides as a sophomore, giving Portland some much-needed support behind starting center Jusuf Nurkic (plus-4.9 BPM).

Depth is not an issue for the Celtics, of course. Chemistry, on the other hand, is a major concern. Kyrie Irving (plus-6.0 BPM) may be back to his usual self, but Gordon Hayward (0.0 BPM) has yet to find his previous All-Star form, shooting a career-worst 39.4 percent from the field. And Hayward’s presence has completely messed things up for Jaylen Brown (minus-4.2 BPM). The Cs will probably work this out before too long, but for now, get ready to fade this underperforming brand name once the NBA odds hit the board.